The present invention relates to a data-processing apparatus and a data-processing method, which are used for rendering services using integrated circuits (ICs), as well as relates to a program for implementing the data-processing method.
Nowadays, there has been developed a communication system for carrying out transactions through a network such as the Internet by using an IC module incorporated in an IC card and portable communication apparatus.
In such a communication system, at a request made by a predetermined service-rendering enterprise rendering a predetermined service using the IC module, a SAM (Secure Application Module) unit executes an application program implementing procedural processing prescribed by the service-rendering enterprise. The SAM unit is typically connected to a network by a server. Communications between the SAM unit and the IC module are carried out through the server and the network. The SAM unit carries out processing such as authentication of a user and encryption as well as decryption of data by execution of the application program at a processing request made by a reader/writer unit of the IC module, a PC (Personal Computer) or a portable communication apparatus.
In the communication system described above, it is necessary to exchange a variety of requests and various kinds of data among the SAM unit, the IC module and the server with a high degree of efficiency. In addition, if the IC module is mounted on the portable communication apparatus or the like, a communication line for exchanging requests and data becomes instable due to an environment for propagating signals representing the requests and the data or other causes. Also in such an environment, it is necessary to exchange the requests and the data with a high degree of efficiency.